A collaboration this year between Washington State University’s Program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, the Department of Fine Arts, and The Plateau Center for Research and Collaboration, the Jo Hockenhull Distinguished Lecture Series was initially launched in 1996 to honor Hockenhull and her dedication to units and initiatives supporting diversity, the liberal arts, free speech, and critical thinking. In April 2018, the biennial Hockenhull lecture, featuring artist Marie Wattt, is part of opening celebrations for the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.Marie Watt was named the 2018 Jo Hockenhull Visiting Lecturer, joining a list of past recipients that includes Octavia Butler, Anna Chavez, Jin-me Yoon, and the Guerrilla Girls. Lecturers have included visual artists, poets, and performance artists who have emphasized the important connections between art, social justice, and political practice.
Watt’s exhibition, titled Companion Species (Underbelly), officially opened on Thursday, April 12, 2018, and included a number of different media to discuss indigenous politics, feminism, and the relationship between history and memory. Her exhibition will be on display at the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum from April to September 2018 on the WSU Pullman Campus.
Watt graduated from Yale University with an MFA in painting and printmaking, and her work has been exhibited in Tacoma Art Museum, the Rockwell Museum, Northwestern University’s Block Museum of Art, and the Denver Art Museum.
Jo Hockenhull is a Professor Emerita of Painting, Printmaking, and Women’s Studies, and served as Director of Women’s Studies at WSU for over a decade. She lives and works in Salem, Oregon.
Top Photo: Marie Watt, 2018 Jo Hockenhull Distinguished Lecturer, discussing “Companion Species (Underbelly)”
at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, April 2018.